Portable mine stoppings

Claim 2

A portable stopping for blocking crosscuts in mine entries having roof, floor and side rib surfaces; comprising a sheet of fire-resistant, gas impervious flexible material adapted to be extended across a crosscut between the roof, floor and ribs thereof, a frame structure for supporting said sheet in substantially air-tight relationship between said surfaces, strap means carried by said frame and extending about the perimeter of said sheet adjacent said surfaces, continuous compressible sealing means positioned between said strap means and said surfaces, means for forcing said strap means toward said surfaces for compressing said sealing means thereby providing a substantially air-tight seal about the perimeter of said sheet, and wherein said forcing means include spike means adapted to extend through said strap means and said sealing means and retainably penetrate said surfaces, said spike means including screw threads adapted to cooperate with a nut for jacking said strap means and said compressible means against said surfaces.

Claim 3

A stopping as defined in claim 1, wherein said sealing means includes edge portions of said sheet.

Claim 4

A stopping as defined in claim 2, wherein said edge portions are folded over to provide plural layers of said edge portions of said sheet between said strap means and said surfaces.

Claim 5

A stopping as defined in claim 3, and further including additional compressible sealing material positioned between said layers.

Claim 6

A stopping as defined in claim 1, wherein said forcing means include telescopic support jacks.

Claim 7

A stopping as defined in claim 5, wherein said telescoping support jacks include compression relief means.

Claim 8

A stopping as defined in claim 6, wherein said relief means comprises a slip joint.

Claim 9

A stopping as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheet includes a zippered opening to provide safety access from one side thereof to the other.

Claim 10

A stopping as defined in claim 1, wherein said strap means includes at least two upstanding axially extending ribs.

Claim 11

A portable stopping for blocking crosscuts in mine entries having roof, floor and side rib surfaces; comprising a sheet of fire-resistant, gas impervious flexible material adapted to be extended across a crosscut between the roof, floor and ribs thereof, a frame structure for supporting said sheet in substantially air-tight relationship between said surfaces, strap means carried by said frame and extending about the perimeter of said sheet adjacent said surfaces, continuous compressible sealing means positioned between said strap means and said surfaces, means for forcing said strap means toward said surfaces for compressing said sealing means thereby providing a substantially air-tight seal about the perimeter of said sheet, and wherein said sheet includes an excess of material over that which is required to extend across the crosscut, said excess being bi-folded upon itself adjacent one edge of said sheet, whereby said sheet may balloon out upon the occurrence of an extreme pressure differential to At least partially relieve the pressure.

Claim 12

A portable stopping for blocking crosscuts in mine entries having roof, floor and side rib surfaces; comprising a sheet of fire-resistant, gas impervious flexible material adapted to be extended across a crosscut between the roof, floor and ribs thereof, a frame structure for supporting said sheet in substantially air-tight relationship between said surfaces, strap means carried by said frame and extending about the perimeter of said sheet adjacent said surfaces, continuous compressible sealing means positioned between said strap means and said surfaces, means for forcing said strap means toward said surfaces for compressing said sealing means thereby providing a substantially air-tight seal about the perimeter of said sheet, and wherein said sheet includes an excess of material over that which is required to extend across the crosscut, said excess being bi-folded upon itself adjacent one edge of said sheet, whereby said sheet may balloon out upon the occurrence of an extreme pressure differential to At least partially relieve the pressure.